Religion

But, the comic book that they endorsed was back in 1986, at the height of the AIDS crisis. While fully repulsive today, it was closer to mainstream thought over thirty years ago. For the next half dozen years or so, many states stained their constitutions with amendments banning equal marriage.

Hopefully, we all know better now, even those that don't recognize equal marriage in their religions. But the AIDS crisis caused a lot of otherwise normal people to say and do things that look horrible in today's light.